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America Inside Out: Historians on the Confederate Monument Debate

"History is what the present chooses to remember about the past." ~ Carl Becker (AHA President, 1931)

You may have found this webpage thanks to National Geographic Channel's documentary series, "AMERICA INSIDE OUT WITH KATIE COURIC." The premiere episode, "Re-Righting History," discusses various perspectives and controversies in the wake of the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia last August. Historical context is essential for understanding the legacy of Confederate monuments and the contemporary debates over their place in public spaces. The American Historical Association is proud to provide a resource for our communities to engage in these conversations, and we will gladly provide any community with a list of historians qualified to contribute the relevant expertise. We hope you will read through this collection of resources to expand your knowledge of the issues raised in "Re-Righting History."

The American Historical Association is the nation's largest organization advocating for history education, the professional work of historians, and the critical role of historical thinking in public life. We welcome history advocates in all fields of work tojoin us. You can sign up to learn more about the AHA.

AHA Statement on Confederate Monuments (August 2017)

In the wake of the Charlottesville tragedy, the AHA released a statement about the role of history and historians in these public conversations. Rather than seeking to provide definitive answers to the questions posed by individual monuments, the AHA emphasizes the imperative of understanding historical context in any consideration of removing or recontextualizing monuments, or renaming public spaces.

Resources on Confederate Monuments and History

On this page, you will find links to interviews, op-eds, and other writings that our members, fellow historical societies, AHA Council members, and staff have made about the importance of historical thinking and knowledge within the current debate. If you would like to find a historian who can speak to your community, please contact Jane Green for a referral.

Other Collections

Interactive Resources

See how historians are using the Clio app to offer interpretations of monuments and historic markers around the country. You can join in this crowd-sourced guide to history in your own backyard.

AHA Statement on Confederate Monuments

The tragic events in Charlottesville, Virginia, have re-ignited debate about the place of Confederate monuments in public spaces, as well as related conversations about the role of Confederate, neo-Nazi, and white supremacist imagery in American political culture.The AHA has released the following statement about the role of history and historians in these public conversations. Rather than seeking to provide definitive answers to the questions posed by individual monuments, the AHA emphasizes the imperative of understanding historical context in any consideration of removing or recontextualizing monuments, or renaming public spaces.

In Re-Righting History, Katie Couric travels from Charlottesville to Montgomery to New Orleans, the front lines in the highly controversial and sometimes violent battle over removing Confederate monuments and renaming buildings, schools and roads named after Confederate generals. Couric meets with people on all sides of this divisive issue. Tune in on Wednesday, April 11th at 10/9c on the National Geographic Channel.

The Decision to Secede and Establish the Confederacy: A Selection of Primary Sources

The American Historical Association encourages continued public debate about monuments to Confederate leaders and about the public spaces and buildings named after those individuals, as well as the role of Confederate flags in public culture. Historians’ recent experiences in media interviews have suggested that too few participants in these conversations have read the essential primary sources that clearly articulate the reasons for secession and the establishment of a new nation. This page links to a limited set of documents with a singular focus: why did state governments decide to secede and form a new nation?